San Diego power washing streets with bleach to fight hepatitis A

An outbreak of hepatitis A has prompted the city of San Diego to begin power washing its streets with bleach in an effort to combat the infectious disease.

San Diego County officials earlier this month declared a public health emergency because of the spread of the liver disease that has killed 15 people and hospitalized 300 more.

The region's homeless population, which often lacks adequate access to restrooms or showers, has been hit the hardest since the outbreak started last November.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer's office on Friday responded to a letter from the county government asking the city to move forward with specific sanitation actions.

A week earlier, the county gave the city five business days to respond with a plan for remedying what it called a "fecally contaminated environment" downtown.

The county will soon expand its efforts to other cities in the region, where the hepatitis A outbreak has now produced nearly 400 confirmed cases.

On Monday, crews began to use bleach-spiked water to pressure wash outdoor surfaces that may have feces, blood or bodily fluids. The virus lives in human feces and spreads if people who have used the bathroom do not properly clean their hands.

The county moved forward with its own contractor, who installed 40 hand-washing stations in areas where the homeless often gather.

In addition to regularly pressure-washing dirty city right of ways, the county also asked the city to "immediately expand access to public restrooms and wash stations within the city limits that are adjacent to at-risk populations."